It has still been hot in Russellville lately — just not as hot as it has been most of the summer.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), 92 degrees was the high for Russellville on Tuesday.

While the weather is likely to remain below 100 degrees for some time, Pope County Judge Jim Ed Gibson reminded residents of the Arkansas River Valley to remain cautious regarding burning.

Gibson lifted the burn ban on Friday, after it had been in effect since May 24 in Pope County. Gibson said he lifted the ban after much of Pope County received rainfall to aid home owners who had been waiting to burn.

“We are monitoring the situation closely,” Gibson said. “We need everyone to remain extremely cautious. Johnson County went back in a burn ban this morning and if Pope County doesn’t receive additional rain, it is likely we will be back in a burn ban as well.”

Tracy Farley, spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service, said fire danger is still elevated, but not extreme. There are still extra fire crews scattered throughout three forests in the state, two of which are in the River Valley at the staging area in Dover.

“We did get some scattered rain throughout the forests in varying amounts,” Farley said. “The rain combined with lower temperatures helped, but because of the deficit we are still in fire danger. We are asking people to still take precautions.”

Arkansas Forestry Commission crews suppressed 15 wildfires that burned 69 acres over the weekend, which is a decrease compared to past weeks.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and heat and humidity conditions,” Sheila Doughty, Firewise information officer for the AFC, said. “We encourage everyone to obey the burn bans.”

How long can the River Valley expect cooler temperatures?

Brian Smith, a meteorologist with the NWS in Little Rock, said the lows will be around 60 or 70 degrees and the highs will be around 80 and 90 degrees for the next seven to 10 days. He added those temperatures are just estimates, or predictions, based on current weather patterns and not guarantees.

“The outlook shows that the temperatures for the next three months will likely be higher than average,” Smith said. “The high pressure the state was experiencing has diminished, which has allowed more northwestern winds to bring cooler temperatures.”

Smith said there is a chance of thunderstorms and scattered showers for the River Valley starting Friday night which will last throughout the weekend.

According to the NWS, Russellville received 2.43 inches of rain in Aug., which is well below the rainfall levels recorded in Aug. 2011. Last Aug., Russellville received 7.62 inches of rain.

The July total for this year was 1.92 inches, more than one inch below the rainfall of 3.18 inches recorded in July 2011.

Smith said the cooler temperatures that accompanied the rainfall helped the ground retain more of the moisture as opposed to when the hot temperatures caused rainfall received to evaporate quickly.

Gibson said the county did have a few grass fires after the burn ban was lifted, but nothing out of the ordinary.

“The residents of Pope County are to be commended for abiding by the burn ban for so long and for being watchful even now that the burn ban has been lifted,” Gibson said. “We will continue to keep a close eye on the situation. We have our fingers crossed that we will get some more rain.”